Headache and Facial Pain

Lawrence C Newman, MD and Morris Levin, MD

Description

Patients with headache pose many clinical challenges. Even experienced clinicians occasionally arrive at the point where diagnostic, work-up, treatment, or prognostic thinking becomes blocked. In short, we all find ourselves from time to time in an exam room or at the bedside, asking ourselves, "What do I do now?" Standard textbooks are often not helpful enough, and tracking down a consultant can be difficult. This book serves the need for a quick reference tool for these difficult headache clinical questions.

In this book, nationally known headache specialists Drs Lawrence Newman and Morris Levin have simulated the "curbside consultation" in a representative set of 33 "mini-cases" of headache and facial pain. The key questions in each are
addressed, much as a consultant would do over the phone or in the hallway. This volume is divided into three sections that cover the typical ground for head/face pain consultation: (1) Diagnostic Questions, (2) Treatment Considerations, and (3) Prognostic, Social and Legal Issues. Recommendations are based on the most current evidence available. Diagnostic thinking is presented along the lines of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, second edition (ICHD-II). A list of key clinical points appears at the end of each case discussion, followed by a list of suggested articles or chapters for those interested in doing further reading on the subject. Tables are provided for quick reference in most chapters.

This book is designed as a very practical resource
for clinicians at all levels of training in all fields of medicine who treat patients with headache and facial pain syndromes. WDIDN-Headache and Facial Pain focuses on the major motivating force driving most clinicians -- the intellectual challenge of sorting through complex important clinical problems.

Key Features: * The book centers around a variety of clinical cases likely to be encountered in an office setting. *Case discussions are handled as a consultant would handle the curb-side consult over the phone or in the hallways speaking to a colleague. *The ICHD-II criteria, evidence-based medicine, and best practices have been incorporated. *There are helpful charts, tables, and take home messages.

Headache and Facial Pain

Lawrence C Newman, MD and Morris Levin, MD

Reviews and Awards

"By use of a case-based approach that highlights dilemmas faced in practice, Newman and Levin have combined their years of clinical experience and hours of teaching expertise to bring out this excellent book that looks at headache from a practical viewpoint. The topics are well chosen, difficult and uncommon clinical presentations are included, ways to investigate headache are logically outlined, and the differential diagnosis is discussed in accordance with the second edition of the International Headache Society Classification of Headache Disorders....The tables, key points, and carefully selected references at the end of each chapter are a unique feature of the text....The authors have shown that headache disorders need not always be frustrating; indeed they can even
be fascinating..."--The Lancet

"The book covers important headache syndromes that cannot be missed in clinical practice. The clear and concise points about each syndrome are laid out in a logical and easy to understand manner. Key points are also made in tables throughout the book. The treatment sectino is clear with excellent tables that compile the therapeutic options in a logical and easy to use format."--Doody's

"The majority of patients who present with headaches are successfully managed...However, even experienced clinicians find themselves confounded by complicated patient histories or presentations and wonder "what do I do in this setting?"...The authors do an excellent job in reducing these complex scenarios into practical advice that is underpinned with up-to-date scientific advice when available...the authors do not shy away from controversy; they tackle issues where conclusive evidence about the best course of action is lacking but treatment decisions nonetheless have to be made. In these situations, the reader profits from the lifelong experience of 2 true headache experts and their wise approach to difficult scenarios....The authors succeed in providing clinicians with
valuable case-oriented information not easily extracted from the standard literature..[It] can be highly recommended to clinicians at all training levels dealing with patients with headache."--Archives of Neurology